On Minghua Avenue, a car hurtled forward in a violent S-pattern.
The military had cleared this road several times. Zombies were sparse, traffic nonexistent. By all accounts, smooth sailing.
And yet this car drove like it was threading through a minefield.
The remarkable thing was that despite the constant left-right lurching, the vehicle somehow refused to flip. Still hauling ass, still upright.
This was, naturally, a testament to the driver's formidable strength.
In fairness, Yang Bin had started out fine. One successful drive under his belt, and the first few minutes were almost normal.
But he'd been going a touch too fast. One obstacle, one overcorrection on the wheel, and the car never found its center again. Pure S-curves from that point on.
Yang Bin compensated with his superhuman eyesight and the lightning reflexes of a Yaoguang Realm powerhouse, keeping the car from rolling through sheer reaction speed alone.
His method was simple: whichever way the car tilted, he yanked the wheel that direction. The problem was he couldn't calibrate the force, so each correction just launched them into the opposite swerve.
Despite all this, Yang Bin was having the time of his life. He'd always wanted to drive. Before the apocalypse, he'd been too broke to own a car. Now? Dream fulfilled.
The two passengers in the back seat did not share his enthusiasm.
The Light-type Ability user had it worst. No seatbelt. No right hand to brace with. He'd sat in the seat for approximately three seconds at the start. After that, he existed in a state of perpetual semi-weightlessness, pinballing off every interior surface the car had to offer.
"Bro... I regret it. I really, truly regret it. Can we please just walk?" The Light-type Ability user's soul had left his body.
With his right arm gone, he couldn't anchor himself no matter how he tried. He was just cargo now, tumbling wherever physics dictated.
Chen Hao didn't answer. He had one hand white-knuckling the seatbelt, the other death-gripping the door handle, mentally rehearsing his bail-out at all times.
But somehow-impossibly-the car survived over ten kilometers like this. Until a sharp bend finally did what gravity had been threatening all along. The vehicle launched, rotated several times in the air, and slammed into the ground with a sickening crunch.
The instant the car left the ground, Yang Bin blinked out of existence. Teleported. Gone.
Chen Hao popped his seatbelt, kicked the door open, and launched himself clear in one fluid motion.
The Light-type Ability user absorbed the full experience. Alone.
A long moment passed before the two of them strolled back, flipped the wreck upright, and dragged him out from the twisted metal.
The Light-type Ability user was a broken man.
Physically, the injuries meant nothing to a Tier-5 Evolver. Psychologically? That damage wasn't healing anytime soon.
"Bro... let's walk. I'll walk on my own. You don't have to carry me. I won't run. I swear to god I won't run. That was too fucking much."
"Should've said that from the start." Chen Hao clicked his tongue. "Perfectly good legs, but no, you had to ask for a car."
If this idiot hadn't suggested it, Brother Bin might never have thought to drive in the first place.
Chen Hao's nerves were still shot too.
Logically, he knew a Yaoguang Realm cultivator wouldn't be hurt by a car crash. But logic had nothing to do with it. The fear was primal.
Yang Bin ignored both of them. He was already conducting a post-incident analysis.
Old habit. Every failure got a debrief.
"Overcorrected on the turn. I'll watch that next time." Yang Bin nodded to himself, completely serious.
"Brother Bin..." Chen Hao's eyes went wide. "You're not planning to drive again, are you?"
"Not today. We're taking back roads from here. They haven't been cleared, no good for driving. Next time, though."
"It's only ten-something kilometers left. We'll run it."
Chen Hao exhaled like a man who'd just received a stay of execution.
Yang Bin retrieved the sack from the trunk, and the three set off toward the Armed Forces Department on foot.
This time, the Light-type Ability user was a model prisoner. No carrying required. He ran alongside them voluntarily, keeping pace without a word of complaint.
Neither Yang Bin nor Chen Hao objected. The guy couldn't escape them anyway.
Along the way, Yang Bin avoided zombies wherever possible. Only killed when he had to.
Scattered zombies were rare these days. Most had been rallied by nearby high-order zombies, congregating in massive clusters at fixed locations. The roads between were relatively empty.
This gave a lot of people the dangerous illusion that zombie numbers were declining.
The reality was the opposite. Zombies moved in hordes now. Far more terrifying than before.
With his True Vision Eye, Yang Bin spotted the large groups well in advance and routed around them.
Another half hour of running, and the three finally laid eyes on a large base.
This was the former Armed Forces Department, now converted into a fortified settlement.
It wasn't as powerful as Ma Zhongguo's base had been, but it already housed twenty to thirty thousand people.
The military hadn't been idle.
The base gates stood open. Four soldiers stood at rigid attention, guarding the entrance.
Yang Bin considered for a moment, then turned to Chen Hao. "Wait here with him. I'll go in and have a look."
"Got it." Chen Hao nodded.
Yang Bin walked straight toward the gate.
The guards spotted him quickly. One soldier broke formation and approached.
"Are you a survivor seeking refuge?"
"Yeah." Yang Bin nodded.
Since he was here, might as well look around inside.
He was confident the military base wouldn't be anything like Ma Zhongguo's operation. He wanted to see if there was anything worth borrowing.
He was planning to build his own base soon. Research never hurt.
"Please come this way to register your information."
The soldier led Yang Bin to a table near the entrance and produced a form.
Yang Bin scanned it. Basic personal details. Pre-apocalypse address. Whether you were an evolver. If so, what order. Standard stuff.
He filled it out carelessly and handed it back.
The soldier took the form and disappeared into the base.
A short while later, he returned.
"You're all set. Head on in-someone will meet you inside."
"Sure."
Yang Bin walked through the gate.
Before long, another soldier approached, holding the form he'd just filled out.
"Hello. You're Yang Bin?"
"That's me."
"Follow me, please."
The soldier led him toward a cluster of buildings deeper in the base.
Along the way, Yang Bin studied everything. The base was new-most of the population was still doing construction work. Almost all men.
Women and the elderly were inside the buildings, doing needlework and other tasks. From what he could see of their condition, they weren't suffering. Fed, at minimum.
Children played outside in the open. That single detail told Yang Bin everything he needed to know. This place was nothing like Ma Zhongguo's.
"This is your unit." The soldier stopped at a building entrance.
One room, one kitchen, one bathroom. Basic but functional.
"Tomorrow morning, head to the management office in the center of the base to register. You'll receive a week's supply of rice and flour."
"You listed yourself as an evolver. You can apply to join the combat team-go out with the main force to clear zombies. You'd earn one crystal of your required order per day."
"Every day?"
"For Tier 4 and below, joining the combat forces guarantees at least one same-order crystal daily. Strong performers can earn two."
"Tier-5 Evolvers depend on performance. Could be one every two days, maybe every three. Tier-5 crystals are scarce."
"Of course, Tier-5 Evolvers can opt for lower-order crystals instead. Those, you can get one or two of daily, no problem."
"Not bad at all."
"I'd recommend joining the combat forces. There's risk, sure, but running with the main group cuts the danger down considerably."
"Got it. Thanks."